diff --git a/.github/workflows/evals.yml b/.github/workflows/evals.yml
index 61b8b5cf..8f0d4653 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/evals.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/evals.yml
@@ -110,6 +110,11 @@ jobs:
 
       - run: bun run build
 
+      # Verify Playwright can launch Chromium (fails fast if sandbox/deps are broken)
+      - name: Verify Chromium
+        if: matrix.suite.name == 'e2e-browse'
+        run: node -e "const {chromium}=require('playwright');(async()=>{const b=await chromium.launch({args:['--no-sandbox']});console.log('Chromium OK');await b.close();})()"
+
       - name: Run ${{ matrix.suite.name }}
         env:
           ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}